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Pot Blocks Cancer-causing Herpes
Pot Blocks Cancer-causing Herpes
Ingredient responsible for marijuana's high could be the basis for new antiviral drugs
Betterhumans Staff
9/23/2004 4:47 PM
FPRIVATE "TYPE=PICT;ALT=Inclusion Bodies"
Credit: National Cancer Institute
Cell savior: Delta-9 tetrahydrocannbinol, better known as THC, saves cells such as these that are infected with certain herpes viruses
The ingredient that gives marijuana its high also appears to block the spread of some cancer-causing herpes viruses.
Researchers at the University of South Florida College of Medicine in Tampa say that delta-9 tetrahydrocannbinol, better known as THC, could be the basis for new antiviral drugs.
They aren't recommending, however, that people take matters into their own hands yet.
"We have not evaluated the effect of THC in an animal model yet so we do not recommend people start using pot to prevent or treat cancers," says virologist Peter Medveczky.
Common virus
Herpes virus infections are some of the most prevalent in humans, causing such symptoms as cold sores and genital herpes, a result of infection with the herpes simplex-1 virus.
Medveczky and colleagues looked at the effects of THC on what are known as gamma herpes viruses, which include Kaposi's sarcoma associated herpes virus and Epstein-Barr virus. The former particularly predisposes infected AIDS sufferers to an increased risk of cancer, and the latter predisposes infected people to such cancers as Burkitt's lymphoma and Hodgkin's disease.
In infected people, herpes viruses can remain dormant in white blood cells for a long time. When they're reactivated and begin replicating, it increases the number of cells infected and increases the risk of cancer.
Potent and selective
Cannabis has increasingly attracted attention for cancer treatment and prevention. Researchers at Complutense University in Madrid, Spain recently reported, for example, that cannabinoids significantly lower a cancer-promoting growth factor in mice and in tumors from people with a common type of brain cancer.
For their study, Medveczky and colleagues looked at the effect of THC on cells infected with a mouse gamma herpes virus.
They found that the virus's reactivation was prevented in cells grown in the presence of THC. They also found that THC protected cells infected by the mouse gamma herpes virus from death, further evidence for its efficacy.
In fact, small concentrations of THC were found to be more potent and selective than the commonly used antiviral drugs acyclovir, gancicyclovir and foscamet.
THC appeared to have no effect on herpes simplex-1 virus infections. The researchers think that it selectively impacts gamma herpes viruses by targeting a gene called ORF50.
The research is reported in the journal BMC Medicine (read abstract).
Related content
Ingredient responsible for marijuana's high could be the basis for new antiviral drugs
Betterhumans Staff
9/23/2004 4:47 PM
FPRIVATE "TYPE=PICT;ALT=Inclusion Bodies"
Credit: National Cancer Institute
Cell savior: Delta-9 tetrahydrocannbinol, better known as THC, saves cells such as these that are infected with certain herpes viruses
The ingredient that gives marijuana its high also appears to block the spread of some cancer-causing herpes viruses.
Researchers at the University of South Florida College of Medicine in Tampa say that delta-9 tetrahydrocannbinol, better known as THC, could be the basis for new antiviral drugs.
They aren't recommending, however, that people take matters into their own hands yet.
"We have not evaluated the effect of THC in an animal model yet so we do not recommend people start using pot to prevent or treat cancers," says virologist Peter Medveczky.
Common virus
Herpes virus infections are some of the most prevalent in humans, causing such symptoms as cold sores and genital herpes, a result of infection with the herpes simplex-1 virus.
Medveczky and colleagues looked at the effects of THC on what are known as gamma herpes viruses, which include Kaposi's sarcoma associated herpes virus and Epstein-Barr virus. The former particularly predisposes infected AIDS sufferers to an increased risk of cancer, and the latter predisposes infected people to such cancers as Burkitt's lymphoma and Hodgkin's disease.
In infected people, herpes viruses can remain dormant in white blood cells for a long time. When they're reactivated and begin replicating, it increases the number of cells infected and increases the risk of cancer.
Potent and selective
Cannabis has increasingly attracted attention for cancer treatment and prevention. Researchers at Complutense University in Madrid, Spain recently reported, for example, that cannabinoids significantly lower a cancer-promoting growth factor in mice and in tumors from people with a common type of brain cancer.
For their study, Medveczky and colleagues looked at the effect of THC on cells infected with a mouse gamma herpes virus.
They found that the virus's reactivation was prevented in cells grown in the presence of THC. They also found that THC protected cells infected by the mouse gamma herpes virus from death, further evidence for its efficacy.
In fact, small concentrations of THC were found to be more potent and selective than the commonly used antiviral drugs acyclovir, gancicyclovir and foscamet.
THC appeared to have no effect on herpes simplex-1 virus infections. The researchers think that it selectively impacts gamma herpes viruses by targeting a gene called ORF50.
The research is reported in the journal BMC Medicine (read abstract).
Related content
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